<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>letters from no one by sgrAyonderii</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972047">letters from no one</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgrAyonderii/pseuds/sgrAyonderii'>sgrAyonderii</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SS Month 2019 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, SSM 2019</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:47:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972047</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgrAyonderii/pseuds/sgrAyonderii</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarada hopes that her papa is just as romantic as mama believes.<br/>Sasusaku Month 2019 Prompt, Day 18: Between the lines </p>
<p>Companion piece to SSM 19: #27 (they never know) and SSM 20: #23(something beautiful)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Sarada, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Sarada &amp; Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sarada &amp; Uchiha Sasuke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SS Month 2019 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038982</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>letters from no one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
<p></p><div class=""><p>Her mama has always been popular and it is never a surprise when she comes home with gifts. Sometimes it’s candy from the little old ladies whose hips mama replaced month before. Other times it’s crafts from the patients at the Children’s Center, pictures drawn in messy crayon and paper mache sculptures that are little lopsided. Even veterans from the last Shinobi war still send mama greeting cards on New Years annually.</p></div><div class=""><p>But more often than not Mama receives flowers. </p></div><div class=""><p>Sarada thinks bitterly that since papa left, the men of the village have gotten braver. </p></div></div><div class="">
  <p>They gift her mama with magnificent bouquets. Dozens and dozens of long stem roses, carnations as big as her head, and of course cherry blossoms. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sarada wishes these dumb suitors would at least have some originality. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>After her mama subtly disposes of yet another large bouquet of red roses, because really how many roses does mama actually need?, Sarada asks her mother whether papa ever gave her flowers. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course he has silly,” she would chuckle. Mama’s eyes twinkle as if she is aware of a grand secret, “your papa is quite the romantic.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But Sarada doubts that. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Despite her mama’s admirers single-handedly keeping the Yamanakas in business, Auntie Ino swears that she had never seen her father purchase a flower for her mama in all the years she manned the family store. Instead he gifts her practical but very unromantic items. A knife sharpener. Her favorite snacks. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Socks. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The Sixth laughs softly and tells Sarada that papa is lucky that mama has been so head over heels for her him from the day they met, because her father didn’t know the first thing about courting. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And Seventh merely sighs defeatedly and tells her that her father loves her mother very, very much. Even if he has trouble showing it. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And of course Sarada knows there is nothing romantic at all about leaving behind a wife and child.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <hr/>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When she is looking through mama’s wardrobe one day for some sparkly bracelets to show ChoCho at their sleep-over next week, Sarada comes across a finely carved wooden box tucked between Mama’s socks and flannel pajama pants. She opens it expecting some treasure inside but instead finds several notebooks. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Curious, Sarada begins to flip through the pages. She cannot imagine her mama keeping a diary. Sarada has never seen her write in one, just in the margins of medical textbooks and paperwork from the hospital at the dinner table. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Inside the notebooks are carefully pressed and delicately preserved flowers. They aren’t the grand flowers she sees at Auntie Ino’s store and not the common ones mama’s suitors give her. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Instead they are more likened to wildflowers or weeds. Grown untouched by man and completely wild and imperfect. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Next to each pressed flower is a series of numbers in her mother's methodical handwriting. Sarada concludes these are dates from the steady ascension of the values. Mama never keeps the flowers from her admirers, so it surprises her that she would keep these plain blooms and in such careful fashion. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She returns from the library the next day with a hefty reference guide to flowers, plants, and their miscellaneous meanings, and Sarada meticulously looks up every single plant in those notebooks. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Bellflowers for unwavering love. Dandelions for overcoming hardships. Rue for regret. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Some blossoms don’t have a particular meaning, but they can’t be found anywhere near Konoha. These plants come from high in the mountains, deep in the forests, and hidden in the desert plains. Nowhere a normal traveler would go just for a tiny bloom </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And others she can’t identify at all. Too exotic, too strange, and not at all like anything in the world. As if someone is sending mementos from a trip across the universe. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There is no sender. No return address. No clue on who sends her mother love letters in the form of flowers. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But mama is always in a particularly good mood whenever a new flower is added to her collection. And Sarada wonders who would send her mama these flowers and why her mama keeps them so lovingly preserved.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Perhaps it is a hobby and Sakura’s acquaintances from all over send her these rare plants to satisfy her mother’s curiosity. Or perhaps they are from a persistent but shy secret admirer who has the common sense not to send the stereotypical bouquet.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But most of all, she hopes its her papa. That the papa she is starting to forget still remembers her mama and her. Hopes that he still has a shred of romanticism left. That these messages are just his secret way of telling them that he is alive and well. That he still thinks of them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Because when she asks her mama whether she thinks papa whether will be home soon, her mama tells her that papa will be back as soon as he can. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But mama has always been a terrible liar. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Because in reality, papa doesn’t send messages. Not to her, not to her mother. His mission is top secret and shrouded in mystery. And as far as she knows, save the Seventh, he hasn’t contacted anyone in years. Maybe because he can’t. Or maybe because he doesn’t want to. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <hr/>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A few days before her parents’ wedding anniversary, she finds herself shopping with her father for the perfect gift. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sarada figures he would need help and she doesn’t want her mama to be disappointed by her husband’s lack of romance. So Sarada points out the flowers at Auntie Ino’s shop and explains each ones’ meaning. Ino watches over the father-daughter duo with bemusement. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Do you need help there sir? I can see you seem to be quite a novice in the language of flowers!” From the back room, Sarada can hear Uncle Sai’s monotone chuckle. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But Papa scoffs, “Don’t listen to her Sarada, I’ve sent Sakura flowers before.” He says as if he is just stating a fact. Like telling her the sky is blue or the weather is fair in spring. But the tips of his ears burn bright red. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And Sarada can’t help but tease her father too, “Well aren’t you romantic papa?”</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Originally posted on my tumblr on 7/18/2019. Companion piece to SSM 19: #27 (they never know) and SSM 20: #23(something beautiful). Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>